Join the Conversation

Lomachenko in a hurry to reach boxing's pinnacle

Two-time Ukraine gold medalist will fight for a world title in his second professional fight on Saturday night in San Antonio

Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko hits the heavy bag during media day Wednesday in San Antonio as he prepares for his fight against WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido of Mexico.(Photo: Chris Farina, Top Rank)

Story Highlights

Vasyl Lomachenko won gold medals for Ukraine in Beijing and London

He won his first professional fight last October

Lomachenko will fight for a world championship in his second professional fight

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has seen great boxers come and go over the last half century.

He swears he has never seen anyone like Vasyl Lomachenko.

Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, was signed by Arum's Top Rank Promotions last year. He nearly left the 82-year-old promoter speechless, not an easy task, the first time they met.

"The first question he asked was what could I do for his career," Arum related by phone, as he headed to San Antonio, where Lomachenko will fight for the second time as a pro on Saturday.

"I said, 'well, we'll give you a four-round fight, you know, the usual stuff.' He said, 'no, no, no, I want to fight for a world title in my first fight.' I said, 'you can't, you've got to qualify.'"

So Arum came up with a scheme where Lomachenko would fight the top contender, and then fight for a world title.

"And he never, ever asked for a signing bonus. Ever," said Arum. "He said, 'I don't need a signing bonus. I am confident in my ability and I know you'll get me the right fights. I'll earn the money myself.' Amazing story."

Arum says he's used to greed when dealing with young boxers at signing time.

"They're usually so greedy when they turn pro, they argue about this, and that, and how much money," he said. "(With Lomachenko) it was nothing like that. He came over to my house in Los Angeles one time, and he brought presents! He's just so mature and such a professional sportsman. It's really a breath of fresh air."

Won his professional debut

As he promised, Lomachenko dispatched savvy veteran Jose Ramirez (then 25-3) with a fourth-round knockout in his pro debut in Las Vegas in October.

On Saturday, the southpaw will take on champion Orlando Salido (40-12-2, 28 KOs) for the Mexican's WBO featherweight belt (HBO, 9:45 p.m. ET). However, on Friday, Salido, who won the vacant belt with a seventh-round knockout of Orlando Cruz last October, weighed in at 128.25 pounds, more than two pounds over the 126-pound limit, and lost his title on the scale. So now only Lomachenko can win the featherweight belt. If Salido wins, the title will be vacated.

Salido vs. Lomachenko is the co-main event of the rematch between super middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera at the Alamodome.

"It could be significant because this Lomachenko is something really special," Arum said. "Anybody who's watched amateur boxing over the years knows this guy is phenomenal."

Lomachenko is considered the greatest amateur boxer of all time, with a 396-1 record. The one loss was controversial, and he crushed the opponent the second time they met.

"Now does that translate into a great professional? I think so. But we're going to see on Saturday," Arum said. "He's not in there with a guy you just walk over. He's in with a tough, tough featherweight who has great ability and strength in later rounds. This is not an easy test for Lomachenko but I really think he can become the face of boxing. I really believe that."

To do that, he will have to beat a fighter in Salido, 33, who has won six of his last seven fights by knockout. And has been tough on southpaws. Salido's only loss in that recent stretch came against undefeated Mikey Garcia, an orthodox puncher, in January 2013.

Garcia suffered a broken nose in that fight from an accidental head butt. If Lomachenko has any concerns it is his perception that the Mexican's style is not necessarily squeaky clean.

"Only one thing concerns me, that he is going to be coming into the ring to fight dirty," Lomachenko told USA TODAY Sports through an interpreter. "From watching his fights I saw that he likes to hit below the belt, in the back, but I'm not worried about it. I know what he does and I am ready for it."

Lomachenko says he has what it takes to finish Salido like he did Ramirez.

"During a bout I can change my style, I can find the key to any door," he said. "If I need to counterpunch, I can do that. If it needs to go into a heavy fight I can do that. If I need to go slower I can go slower, if I need to go faster I can go faster. I can adjust to any style."

He gave his opponent props during a media workout on Wednesday.

"Salido has fought the best of the best. He will be a hard fighter to defeat," Lomachenko said. "I like fighters like him with the tough Mexican style. It makes it so much more challenging.

"Salido is a great champion because he is calm, never talks trash, is cold-blooded and has beaten the best. This is a real fight, a battle."

Preparation is key

What impresses Arum most about Lomachenko is the way he prepares.

"I've never seen anybody so prepared. He's staying with a nutritionist, a conditioning coach and a sports psychiatrist that he talks to for about an hour after every training session," Arum said. "His father is equally dedicated. We just signed a bronze medal winner from Ukraine, who told us he asked Lomachenko's father to train him, and he refused because he said he wants to devote all his time to his son's career. It's amazing."

Lomachenko has no idea how he will handle the fight if it goes deep into championship rounds, and Salido has been known to get stronger as a fight wears on. But says he regularly spars 20 rounds at a time, so he does not anticipate problems.

Salido says wait and see. "He (Lomachenko) has fast hands and can move around but he's never been in the ring with a Mexican champion," Salido said. "My three world titles beats his two gold medals. You can count on that."

Lomachenko is so focused on winning a world title that when asked if he's been following the fighting in Ukraine, he said, "I don't want to talk about the politics right now, especially when I am preparing for the biggest step in my career.

"I am preparing for a fight and trying not to watch the news. I'm trying to get everything away from my head and concentrate on the fight."

Winning a world title in his second fight has never been done. Asked why he's in such a hurry to attain his dream, Lomachenko doesn't hesitate.

"First of all, I am not like most fighters. I want to be on the list of the greatest, best boxers in history," he said. "There is a list of fighters that will be remembered forever. Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather. These names will be remembered for a long time. And I want my name to be with them. I don't want to be a very, very good fighter. I want to be at the top of the list."

Ask Arum if Lomachenko is biting off more than he can chew, and he says, "Listen, if I told you definitively one way or the other, I'd be making it up. I think no, but am I sure? No. Who knows?

"Throughout history, our best professional boxers were the guys who were most successful in the amateurs, guys like Muhammad Ali, like Sugar Ray Leonard, like Oscar (De La Hoya), like Floyd Mayweather. They all had storied amateur careers.

"Doesn't mean that if you had a storied amateur career you're necessarily going to become a great professional, but if you're a great professional, chances are you had a storied amateur career, like the Klitschkos."

Lomachenko was asked how long he thought his fight with Salido would last.

"I never run in front of a train," he said, quoting what he says is an old Ukrainian saying. "I can't tell how long it's going to take. I can't predict how it's going to go."

All he knows is that by late Saturday night, he fully expects to be the WBO featherweight champion of the world.